Vertical slat type window blinds



Dec. 26, 1961 B. J. ZYTKA VERTICAL SLAT TYPE WINDOW BLINDS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed May 15, 1959 INVENTOR.

Dec. 26, 1961 B. J. ZYTKA 3,014,525

VERTICAL SLAT TYPE WINDOW BLINDS Filed May 15, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR. 6M 9 Wan AW United States Patent 3,014,525 VERTICAL SLAT TYPE WINDOW BLINDS Bernard J. Zytka, 1330 Missouri Ave., Bridgeville, Pa. Filed May 15, 1959, Ser. No. 813,526 Claims. (Cl. 160-168) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in window shades, more particularly vertical slat type window shades, and it is among theobjects thereof to provide simple and durable construction for mounting the slats of a window shade vertically with operating mechanism for engaging the individual slat supports to actuate the same in opening and closing the slats.

It is a further object of the invention to provide vertical slat window shades with means for rotating the slat supports, together with means for spacing such supports to extend or contract the same along the width of a Window to vary the degree of opening between two sections of the window shade.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the accompanying drawings constituting a part hereof in which like reference characters designate like parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section, partially in elevation, of a vertically disposed slat window shade embodying the principles of this invention;

FIGURE 2, a front elevational view line 2-Z, FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3, a top plan view, partially in section and partially in elevation, of a portion of the vertical slat support operating bars and spacer elements;

FIGURE 4, a top plan view showing a fragmentary portion of the sectional window shade at the center thereof;

FIGURE 5, a top plan view of a pair of sliding brackets with draw strings locked in position therein;

FIGURE 6, a top plan view partially in cross section, of one half of a window shade with head rail and operating bars, slat supports and spacer mechanism;

FIGURE 7, a front elevational view of the elements shown in plan in FIGURE 6; and

FIGURE 8, a transverse section of overlapping vertical slats.

For a better understanding of the invention, primary consideration is the provision of means for actuating the slat supports to open and close the same by a friction dew'ce that permits sliding the supports to vary the spacing of the slats relative to each other.

To this end, as shown in FIGURE 1, a box-shaped head rail 1 made of sheet metal having its ends bent to form shoulders 2 and flared webs 3 terminating in parallel tracks 4, the space between the ends being open, as shown. Mounted on the rails 4 are a pair of operating bars generally designated by the numeral 5 having inturned flanges 6 underlying the shoulders 2 of the head rail and having folded-over flanges 7 enveloping the rails 4 to allow sliding movement of the bars 5 on the rails without vertical or lateral displacement. Supported on the operating bars 5 are rotor heads 8 having conical faces 9 to provide clearance with the operating bar 5, a knurled face portion 10 being provided for engaging the operating bars 5 to cause the heads 8 to rotate while the operating bars are slid in opposite directions on their supporting rails. A stem 11 may be integrally formed with the rotor heads 8 and is provided with a cylindrical body portion 12 that is slotted, as shown at 13, FIGURE 2, to receive the vertical slats 14 that constitute the window shade.

The slats are secured in the cylindrical body portions 12 by rivets or screws 15. As shown in FIGURES 3, 6 and 7, a plurality'of slats 14- are arranged in groups, a group of four being shown in FIGURES 6 and 7 as constituting ahalf section of a blind. The slots 14 of the taken along the of a modified form groups are joined by tapes 16 and 1'7 to coordinate the movement of the slats so that they are simultaneously movable angularly by the rotor heads 8 when they in turn are actuated by the operating bars 5 in the head rails.

The tapes are double loops as distinguished from the single loops employed in horizontal louvered type blinds. Also, the slats are notched as shown at 1611, FIGURE 1 of the drawings. The double loops and notches are essential to retain connecting tapes in place. As shown in FIGURE 7, the tapes are creased midway between the slats at 17a to give an accordion effect when they are drawn together, thus giving a neat appearance to the folded vertical slats when they are folded.

The vertical slats and their supports are spaced by means of a lazy tong linkage generally designated by the numeral 18, the links being pivotally mounted on the extensions 19 of the rotor heads 8. The ends of the links are pivotally joined at 23, the opposite joints expanding and contracting as the toggle links are actuated, as will be hereinafter explained.

As shown in FIGURE 1, flanged nivets or collars 22 may be provided on which the toggle links are pivotally mounted, spacing collars 23, FIGURE 2, being provided to prevent binding of the bushing 22. with the rotor head 8.

As shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, the operating bars 5 and 5a are provided with short gear racks 24 and 25 which are bolted to the bars 5 and So at 26 and Z7 respectively. The end rotor head 8 is provided with an extension that constitutes a shaft 23 for a sheave wheel 29 that is actuated by a rope 30, the shaft 2 8 being further provided with a gear wheel 3-1 that interacts with the teeth of the racks 24 and 25, as shown in FIG. 6.

The shaft 28 is further provided with a sheave wheel 32 that is provided with a rope 33 for rotating the same. The wheel 32 is an idler wheel to constitute an antifriction support for the rope 3-3 which causes the rotor heads 8 to slide in the operating bars by virtue of their hookup with the lazy tong links 18, as will be hereinafter explained. As is diagrammatically shown in FIGURE 6, the rope 3% is provided with tassels 34 and 35 which, when engaged to be pulled, rotates sheave wheel 29 and causes the pinion 31 to :move the racks 2.4 and 25 to which the operating bars 5 and 5a are attached, thereby causing rotation of the rotor heads 8 of all of the slats simultaneously. As is clear from FIGURE 6, one of the operating bars will slide in one direction on the head rail 4 while the other will slide in the opposite direction;

The slats 14 may be straight, as shown in FIGURE 7, or they may be offset as shown by the slats designated 36 in FIGURE 8 of the drawing, which have overlapping flanges 37 and 3-8 to shut out light.

As shown in FIGURE 7, a slide bracket 39 may be mounted on the operating bars which it overlaps, there being two of such brackets 39 and 40 shown in FIGURE 5, with the dotted lines designated by the numeral 41 showing that the ears of the brackets are bent under the operating bars 5 and 5a. The lazy tong links are anchored at one end on the shaft 28, as shown at 42, FIG- URE 7, and they are anchored to the brackets 39 and 4t), as shown by dotted lines at 43 and 44 in FIGURE 5 of the drawing.

Where a double set of blinds are used, it is merely duplicating the blinds of FIGURES 6 and 7 which are then only half sections, on the righthand side of the figures, as viewed in the drawing. Where such double sets are employed, the single actuator shaft 28 may be used and an idler pinion and racks employed on the opposite end of the operating bars. However, by splitting the bars in the manner shown in FIGURE 4 and connecting them by links 45 secured by rivet 45a, opposite bars will operate in the the other half being an extension same direction. Thus, for example, the bar a, if moved to the right as shown by the arrow, will through the linkage 45 cause the bar 5 of the other portion of the blind to move in the same direction, as shown by arrows. This will cause the vertical slats to move in opposite directions.

The slide brackets 39 and 40 are actuated by the rope 33, which is shown in FIGURE 7 as passing over the sheave wheel 32. The rope is locked to the brackets 39 and 40 by the clips 46 and 47, FIGURE 5, so that when the rope 33 is drawn, the brackets 39 and 46) will slide on the operating bar flanges to separate the slat supports or bring them together, as the case may be.

7 Because of the friction engagement of the rotor heads 8 with the operating bars, they are freely slidable in the head rails to any position or degree of operation desired by virtue of their suspension from the lazy tong supports. By moving the rope 30 to actuate the sheave wheel 29 and the gear 31 that operates the racks, the operating bars will cause the rotor heads 8 to revolve to move the slats angularly to an open or closed position, the connecting tapes coordinating the movement of the slats as in conventional type of horizontal slat blinds. The end slat that is attached to the operating shaft 28 may be provided with an extension for anchoring the same to the floor, as shown at 49, FIGURE 7, and the ends of the two sections of the blind may be arranged to be overlapping or otherwise connected to shut out light.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the details of construction without departing from the principles herein set forth.

I claim:

1. In an adjustable blind in which the slats are vertically disposed a head rail of sheet metal in the shape of a hollow box, the bottom wall of which is split with the ends flared to form a V-shaped channel with lateral flanges at the top thereof, a pair of operating bars having folded under flanges overlapping the lateral flanges of the head rail, said bars being mounted for sliding movement in opposite directions and forming a V-channel, a plurality of rotor heads having a tapered face engaging the operating bars and having a shaft disposed through the opening between the walls of the V-shaped head rail and operating bars, a plurality of slats each mounted on the shaft of one of the rotor heads to be movable by rotation of said rotor head, means for actuating said operating bars to slide them in opposite directions to rotate the rotor heads and subject the depending slats to angular movement to open and close the blind and means connecting all of said rotor heads to subject them to sliding movement on said operating rails to vary the spacing of the rotor heads and slats.

2. In an adjustable blind in which the slats are vertically disposed, a head rail of sheet metal in the shape of a hollow box, the bottom wall of which is split with the ends flared to form a V-shaped channel with lateral flanges at the top thereof, a pair of operating bars having folded under flanges overlapping the lateral flanges of the head rail, said bars being mounted for sliding movement in opposite directions and forming a V-channel, a plurality of rotor heads having a tapered face engaging the operating bars and having a shaft disposed through the opening between the walls of the V-shaped head rail and operating bars, a plurality of slats each mounted on the shaft of one of the rotor heads to be movable by rotation of said rotor head, means for actuating said operating bars to slide them in opposite directions to rotate the rotor heads and subject the depending slats to angular movement to open and close the blind and means connecting all of said rotor heads to subject them to sliding movement on said operating rails to vary the spacing of the rotor heads and slats, said means comprisini a lazy tong link connection joining said rotor heads, one end of which is anchored and the other end of which is movable to extend and contract the lazy tong.

3. In an adjustable blind in which the slats are vertically disposed, a head rail of sheet metal in the shape of a hollow box, the bottom wall of which is split with the ends flared to form a V-shaped channel with lateral flanges at the top thereof, a pair of operating bars having folded under flanges overlapping the lateral flanges of the head rail, said bars being mounted for sliding movement in opposite directions and forming a V-channel, a plurality of rotor heads having a tapered face engaging the operating bars and having a shaft disposed through the opening between the walls of the V-shaped head rail and operating bars, a plurality of slats each mounted on the shaft of one of the rotor heads to be movable by rotation of said rotor head, a gear rack at the end of each of said operating bars having a gear wheel interacting with the teeth of said racks, said gear wheel being mounted on one of said rotor heads and a sheave wheel and rope for actuating said gear wheel to subject the operating bars to sliding movement simultaneously in opposite directions.

4. In an adjustable blind in which the slats are vertically disposed, a head rail of sheet metal in the shape of a hollow box, the bottom wall of which is split with the ends flared to form a V-shaped channel with lateral flanges at the top thereof, a pair of operating bars having folded under flanges overlapping the lateral flanges of the head rail, said bars being mounted for sliding movement in opposite directions and forming a V-channel, a plurality of rotor heads having a tapered face engaging the operating bars and having a shaft disposed through the opening between the walls of the V-shaped head rail and operating bars, a plurality of slats each mounted on the shaft of one of the rotor heads to be movable by rotation of said rotor head, a gear rack at the end of each of said operating bars having a gear wheel interacting with the teeth of said racks, said gear wheel being mounted on one of said rotor heads and a sheave wheel and rope for actuating said gear wheel to subject the operating bars to sliding movement simultaneously in opposite directions and means consisting of a lazy tong link connection in which the center links are mounted on the top of said rotor heads to space said heads in said operating bars in accordance with the extended or contracted position of said lazy tong, said lazy tong being fixed at one end and having its other end connected to a bracket mounted for sliding movement on the flanges of said operating bars to simultaneously adjust the rotor heads and slats relative to each other.

5. In an adjustable blind in which the slats are vertically disposed a head rail of sheet metal in the shape of a hollow box, the bottom wall of which is split with the ends flared to form a V-shaped channel with lateral flanges at the top thereof, a pair of operating bars having folded under flanges overlapping the lateral flanges of the head rail, said bars being mounted for sliding movement in opposite directions and forming a V channel, a plurality of rotor heads having a tapered face engaging the operating bars and having a shaft disposed through the opening between the walls of the V-shaped head rail and operating bars, a plurality of slats each mounted on the shaft of one of the rotor heads to be movable by rotation of said rotor head, means for actuating said operating bars to slide them in opposite directions to rotate the rotor heads and subject the depending slats to angular movement to open and close the blind and means for varying the spacing of said rotor heads independently of the movement of .said operating bars.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,495,973 Jones Ian. 31, 1950 2,822,043 Horak Feb. 4, 1958 2,849,061 Toti Aug. 26, 1958 

